Archive for the ‘Casey Treat’ Category

Self Empowerment is a buzz-word that has been used to teach people to increase their self-image and be more assertive in daily life. The premise is the process of finding the resourcefulness inside an individual which translates into a stronger, worthier, more confident person.

The Bible refers to Self Empowerment in these scriptures:

Matthew 16:24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Mark 8:34 And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him denyhimself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

Romans 12:3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

1st Corinthians 3:18 Let no mandeceive himself.If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

Galatians 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

SELF Empowerment is not in the Bible, other than as works of the flesh. Then why are “Christian” organizations and individuals promoting itas though it was a fruit of the Spirit of God, and not solely the wisdom of man?

One reason is Love of Money (1st Timothy 6:10). There is much money to be made in enabling people (mostly women) to excel above others, to be ambitious in their spirituality (emulation-a work of the flesh-Galatians 5:19-21). It’s much cheaper (and doctrinally sound) to go with what Jesus said “…let him denyhimself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

Another reason is Power. On this page at reference.com, it is stated (bold added):

The term Human Empowerment covers a vast landscape of meanings, interpretations, definitions and disciplines ranging from psychology and philosophy to the highly commercialized Self-Help industry and Motivational sciences.

[…]

The process which enables one to gain power, authority and influence over others, institutions or society. Empowerment is probably the totality of the following or similar capabilities:-

Having decision-making power of one’s own

Having access to information and resources for taking proper decision

Having a range of options from which you can make choices (not just yes/no, either/or.)

Ability to exercise assertiveness in collective decision making

Having positive thinking on the ability to make change

Ability to learn skills for improving one’s personal or group power.

Ability to change others’ perceptions by democratic means.

Involving in the growth process and changes that is never-ending and self-initiated

Increasing one’s positive self-image and overcoming stigma

Increasing one’s ability in discreet thinking to sort out right and wrong

If there isn’t any money to be made, then what would be the point? Notice that all the proponents of metaphysics will take a concept, create a process of implementation, and SELL it. Jesus Christ can not be sold! Therefore, you won’t find anyone who is selling the real salvation of man. Metaphysics proponents are working very hard to present a facsimile, a substitute, that unsuspecting, undiscerning people will buy, or buy into.

Here are some buzz-words/phrases that go along with Self Empowerment:

self-image
self-esteem
find your destiny/identity
discover your God-given gifts
be a champion
we are little gods
recognize your potential
live your dream
live the dream God has for you
poverty is of the devil
realize the power inside you
discover how to dig down deep and “grab” your determination
transformation is the key to a better life in God

This instruction erroneously teaches that we choose what our destiny will be based on the world’s perception of greatness, positive image, comfort, and power — based on metaphysics, an occult/New Age concept of controlling ourSELVES and the world WITHOUT Jesus Christ. Self Empowerment depends on humans’ efforts, not God’s power. The proponents are training undiscerning Christians a “new” unbiblical spirituality — one that exalts itself against the knowledge of God (2nd Corinthians 10:5).

Don’t be deceived by Self-Empowerment and its euphemisms. Just because one feels better about one’s SELF is no reason to abandon the clear mandates in scripture.

Use the Bible as your only source of information. Do not believe any doctrine or teaching that is not substantiated by the Word of God.

Do Jews and Christians Worship the Same God?
by Susan Bertalotto
February 2009

I have heard comments from people I know, and read articles on the internet that state:

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the Christian and Jewish God. The Jews don’t believe that Jesus is the Messiah, but why does that preclude them from reverencing the God of scripture?

I had answered that question one time with the fact that the Jewish god does not have a Son Jesus Christ, so they can’t be the same God. Big difference, right? The questioner retorted that the Jewish god is still the same God as they worshipped before Jesus came so nothing has changed.

But that just isn’t true. Jesus Christ IS God. So how can anyone say that without Jesus they are worshipping “God”? Jesus is the Word made flesh, the second Person of the Godhead who came to earth as fully God and fully human (John 1). If Jesus Christ is removed as a Person of the Godhead, then I suppose the Jews could say, at best, that they worship a “fractured” god which is a false god according to the Bible.

Why do so many Christians believe that the definition of God is “He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”? How about Jesus Christ? The Jews have rejected Jesus as the Messiah, therefore they have rejected the true God. Some of those who believe this fallacy are Casey Treat and John Hagee, plus many more prominent Bible “teachers”. Be careful what you learn in Sunday’s sermons and on the internet. Do not be deceived.

Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also].
1st John 2:22-23

On February 24, 2008, Casey Treat was a guest of Robert H. Schuller of the Crystal Cathedral fame. Here is an excerpt of the interview during the service:

Casey Treat: …we [Casey & Wendy] were married and started Christian Faith Center together. …and you [Schuller] were building the Crystal Cathedral…

…and we were birthing a new church. But we would watch you on television and we’d be inspired. I always loved Romans 12:2, “Be transformed by the renewing of your mind” because I knew I had to change my thinking as well as my relationship with God. So I would see you, hear about possibility thinking, if they can do it at Crystal Cathedral we can do it in Seattle. A few months ago, we moved into a 5,000 seat sanctuary.

…And I would say your ministry has a part of building that church in the Northwest. (Online Source)

Schuller’s ministry has been based since 1969 on “Self-Esteem Theology”, a belief he wrote about in his books. Jesus died to alleviate low self-esteem; the preaching of sin is “a polluted message of shame, humiliation, and undeserved embarrassment” (Prayer: My Soul’s Adventure with God, p. 45, Published by T. Nelson 1995). But Jesus did not die on the cross to ELEVATE SELF. Jesus made it very clear that we must DENY SELF, pick up our cross and follow Him.

Treat has built his theology and church on “possibility thinking”, the very cornerstone of the self-esteem theologists. This belief is mimicked in the Word/Faith movement and Prosperity Gospel of which Treat is very much a part. Build up self, feel better about self, make more money for self, and above all — give more money to the church. The “possibility thinking” along with the Prosperity Gospel is based on the love of money which is the root of all evil (1st Timothy 6:10).

Casey Treat’s name is prominently displayed on the Crystal Cathedral website. In fact they also sell his latest book How to Be Your Best When You Feel Your Worst, since his teachings fall in step with Schuller’s heretical theology. If Treat was actually preaching/teaching the “polluted message” of sin and repentance, his book would not be found on Schuller’s site.

Treat, along with his wife Wendy, have been pushing contemplative spirituality advocates (John Eldredge, M. Scott Peck, etc. see previous article), the Prosperity Gospel, possibility thinking with the self-esteem theology — all of which are directly contrary to the Word of God.

I have known of Casey Treat for many years now. He had been a drug addict until becoming a Christian and had attended Bible school in Seattle, then started a church south of Seattle. I had attended the church several times throughout the years; it was just a normal, evangelical church, eventually growing into a mega-church.

About six years ago, I became aware of something I thought was odd at the time. Since I was a singles co-ordinator at a Seattle-area church, I came into contact with single adults who were or had been attending Treat’s church, Christian Faith Center (CFC). There was talk of CFC and Treat promoting particular books, supposedly “good” books. Among them was “The Road Less Traveled” by M. Scott Peck. I didn’t know anything about “New Age”, “contemplative spirituality”, and the such. But there was definitely something off regarding that book and others, although I can’t remember the names of the other books. They were similar-type self-help books, every one of them devoid of the clear Gospel of Jesus Christ. “The Road Less Traveled” is NOT a Christian book. It is a “guide to confronting and resolving our problems”, all without Jesus Christ. How can a Christian forget that Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY TO GOD, the only antidote for sin? By NOT being a Christian, that’s how. Casey Treat recommends this book and others like it, leading people down the broad path to destruction.

Then in 2004, I again attended CFC while visiting friends. That particular Sunday, after the worship service, Casey Treat drove up the middle aisle on a Harley Davidson motorcycle. He was advertising and promoting the Wednesday night men’s group that he taught. The reason for the Harley? Treat was demonstrating his “wild at heart” proclivities. He informed the men in the congregation that the book “Wild At Heart” by John Eldredge was being used in the men’s group. I just laughed; have you ever heard of that book?

“Wild At Heart” is an emotional, beat-on-the-chest publication that describes how a man can be what he is meant to be. Oops, how a man can be what he is meant to be IN GOD. Eldredge had to add that or else Christians wouldn’t be suckered into buying it. I had checked into that book in 2002 when someone had asked me about it. You can look up parts of the book on amazon.com. On pages 3 and 4, the basic premise of the whole book is stated: (paraphrased) “Adam was created in the wilderness, outside of the Garden of Eden; Eve was created IN the Garden. Because Adam was created in the wilderness and placed in the Garden, he didn’t really belong there and wanted to get out the whole time he was in communion with God.” I kid you not! Read it for yourself. Since when does Adam want to get OUT of the Garden? The reason he left is because of SIN. Not because he wanted to be “wild at heart”. The whole premise is laughable if it wasn’t so sad.

So Casey Treat bought the whole story – hook, line, and sinker. And he is teaching and encouraging the men in his church to buy into a lie also. Where is his discernment? Why is he not protecting the flock from wolves such as John Eldredge and Scott Peck?

When I attended CFC in 2004, the church was quite empty of the Spirit of God. “Great” worship – “great” preaching, that’s what I heard people say, although I didn’t see or hear that. Everything is choreographed; perfection is the game. Pleasing the people. Reminds me of Rick Warren and his “felt-needs”. Very similar spirits.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. 1 John 4:1

Unfortunately, Casey Treat has veered off onto a broad road. And he’s taking a lot of undiscerning people with him.

God wants us to become Himself (or Herself or Itself). We are growing toward godhood. God is the goal of evolution.

Another person who teaches a distorted doctrine of godhood is Creflo Dollar, a colleague of Casey Treat and a speaker (along with Frederick K C Price) at Treat’s Vision 2007 Conference. Dollar believes that God “produced” humans after His own kind, therefore we are gods. That teaching is New Age/Occult, through and through.

The premise of this [New Age thought, et al] is that we all have a divine essence within us, and we just need to get in touch with it. In other words, as panentheists teach, God is in all of creation, including all human beings, and once a person becomes aware of this, there are no limits to what he can achieve.

Casey Treat believes Satan’s lie also – that we humans are gods. It is obvious, from the books he recommends and the teachers he allows in his church, that he is a false teacher.

Update April 2009In his latest book How To Be Your Best When You Feel Your Worst, Treat writes of his experience with battling Hepatitis C from which he has now recovered. He uses his experences to encourage others to find help, through his five steps, with depression, marriage issues, health problems, financial struggles, stress, etc. Unfortunately he teaches that low self-esteem and low self-image is at the root of the “problems”.

Page 234: … many of us struggle with the same issues and sin as the world around us — and much of that struggle is rooted in negative self-esteem.

Struggles and “issues” are rooted in SIN, not in how well a person esteems him/herself. The Bible does not teach us to beat up ourselves, but it certainly doesn’t exhort us to regard ourselves higher now than we did in the past so we can cope with life’s “struggles” today. Only through Jesus Christ can we have the liberty and victory from sin. Jesus is the One who said to deny SELF and take up our cross and follow Him. He never once said we need to feel better about SELF in order to be reconciled to God or be a better Christian.

Treat is very sincere and endevours to be uplifting in his attempt to help alleviate a person’s “negative self-image”. But that teaching is not biblical and will not assist anyone in being stronger in their faith in God. Everything we need is through Jesus Christ, not through “self”.

Even though Paula White has broken off ongoing relations to Without Walls, the church she and her husband, Randy, founded in Tampa, FL, she has continued with her own marketing scheme of profitable feel-good seminars. She is now hooked up with The Epicenter which, along with pastor Rick Hawkins, are just her speed — seeker-sensitive, driven by cash, and teaching the doctrine of “destiny”.

THIS WILL BE A YEAR THAT WE WALK IN DESTINY… JER.1:5, Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

What does the Word of God have to say about destiny? In the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, the word “destiny” isn’t found. “Destiny” is referenced in the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible, but every reference is regarding evil and/or destruction. Both versions write of “predestination” or “predestined”, but that has nothing to do with destiny. So the Bible says nothing about “discovering/pursuing/finding your destiny”, “walk in destiny”, etc.

The Epicenter’s reference to the scripture in Jeremiah is taken out of context. The context is God speaking to Jeremiah, telling him that he was sanctified and ordained a prophet. The passage does not say that everyone (or even a few people) is sanctified before one is born. That concept would be metaphysics, a New Age/Occult teaching (the divine spark; God is in everything and everyone).

The doctrine of destiny which Paula White, Rick Hawkins, Casey Treat, Joyce Meyer, and many others share is nothing more than a substitute for the Real Answer – Jesus Christ.